O God. Alabama fans on their lunch break today probably didn’t want to see the story come over the wire, the one that basically says, “Your star junior running back and Heisman Trophy winner basically lost a knee yesterday in practice and had arthroscopic surgery this morning.” OK, maybe it’s not quite that bad. The only guarantee is that Trent Richardson is the starter for the San Jose State game. But with Penn State coming to town in Week Two, having that two-headed monster in the backfield would be nice. The Tide beat writers say not likely.
Richard Scrushy‘s illegal acts to the contrary, having HealthSouth and Dr. James Andrews located 45 minutes up the road in Birmingham isn’t a bad asset to have, so it’s possible Ingram could be ready to go in a couple weeks.
“It was a situation where everyone involved thought it would be better to take care of now, so he would not have any issues with it later in the season,” Saban said.
Ingram, a junior, hurt his knee late in practice on Monday. Saban said this morning’s minor surgery was successful and performed by Dr. Lyle Cain and Dr. James Andrews.
The normal recovery for a knee scope is a few weeks.
Here’s a bit of trivia — Andrews also operates a sports medicine clinic in Gulf Breeze, Fla., across the bay from Richardson’s hometown of Pensacola. Anyway….
Third stringer Eddie Lacy is an unknown quantity for most people not allowed at Alabama’s practice fields, so we will have to see how he fits into Richardson’s old role. But maybe Ingram could sit out Week One and Week Three (Duke) but be ready when the meat of the season really starts. As it is, Richardson has received so much preseason love coming off his spectacular freshman year, on the Madden scale many people would put him as an overall 97 to Ingram’s 94. So maybe waiting for Ingram to return until Week Four may not be as big of a deal as a former Tide team losing Shaun Alexander or (and this did happen) Siran Stacy.
Spencer Hall, who like the rest of us witnessed Richardson breaking out last year, had jokes.
SEC Media Days. The three days of fun and games in the Wynfrey Hotel at the Galleria in Birmingham (or specifically, the white-flight haven of Hoover). Usually when it’s the day that Alabama is on the slate, the lobbies fill with fans, old and young, waiting to meet and get memorabilia signed by the head coach and the three payers chosen to appear. With the Tide slated for the opening spot on Wednesday — the national champion Tide — the atmosphere was bananas. The Chick-fil-A ran out of chicken. This was REAL, son.
And if you don’t think the horde of beat writers (and more than a few national writers, and the TV and radio types) showing up were on edge enough with a rabid, human crimson tide waiting for them, the SEC dropped the ball on the Internet. All day long, there were lamentations about the lack of wifi, and when it came, it was spotty. There was much gnashing of teeth and hitting of refresh.
But, when the time came, Tide coach Nick Saban stepped to the podium. He pretty much kept it straight, but began getting a little wound up when talking about agents and college football. Mind you, the Bama program has been pretty open with allowing scouts look at film and practices, but Saban seems to be getting ready to shut the door on all NFL types. Then, pimps.
| Saban on rogue agents |
As for the rest, it went pretty much as usual.
| Alabama head coach Nick Saban |
| Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy |
| Alabama linebacker Dont’a Hightower |
| Alabama running back Mark Ingram |
The next crew up was Mississippi State. Coach Dan Mullen seems to sincerely believe that his Bulldogs are going to be competitive in the SEC West this year, which simply seems bizarre. To the best of our knowledge, the last time MSU was good was when former coach Jackie Sherrill was breaking all sorts of rules. Mullen also defended the spread option, which Saban previously said was not good prep for a quarterback going to the next level.
| Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen |
| Mississippi State quarterback Chris Relf |
Third up was SEC East champion Florida. We would say the SEC blew its stash on the first day, but that would be an understatement. Of the first four teams, two are the best in the conference with the best two, most intimidating coaches in the conference. Good job with scheduling. Anyway, Gators coach Urban Meyer addressed agents as well, saying that they keep tight security to keep agent types out, and the only place you’d find one on campus is behind a bush. And he seemed to be indulging in a little schadenfreude when asked about Southern Cal getting nailed with probation shortly after Lane Kiffin taking over.
| Florida head coach Urban Meyer |
| Florida safety Ahmad Black |
| Florida center Mike Pouncey |
Last up was Kentucky and its fearsome twosome, coach Joker Phillips and athlete Randall Cobb. See, Cobb is probably the only player on the Wildcats’ roster that you can name, for the reason that he’s on the field damn near every play in yet another position. For any team playing Kentucky, it pretty much boils down to containing Cobb. Phillips said it himself that Cobb will be all over the field again this season. He also said assistant Tee Martin knows Facebook and former coach Rich Brooks tweets his daily golf score. Riveting.
| Kentucky head coach Joker Phillips |
| Kentucky athlete Randall Cobb |
National champion, Heisman Trophy winner and Alabama running back Mark Ingram isn’t just a big deal in the Yellowhammer State. Back home in Michigan, he’s also been getting quite a lot of play, especially in his hometown of Flint. Considering that Flint doesn’t have much to celebrate these days, a Tide back is at the top of the list for celebration.
A bill pending in the Michigan Legislature would designate a stretch of Interstate 475 through Flint the “Mark Ingram Memorial Highway.”
Ingram went to high school at Flint Southwestern Academy.
He won the Heisman last season as a sophomore with Alabama. The Crimson Tide beat Texas in the BCS national championship game.
The Senate Transportation Committee is scheduled to consider the bill designating the highway in Ingram’s honor on May 4.
Pass that bill.
It had been 17 years. The fan base was hungry. The players were hungry. Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram was hungry. It had to happen. Alabama beat Texas 37-21 to win the national championship.
Sure, the haters were out. It was expected. But they weren’t on the field. Texas quarterback Colt McCoy couldn’t handle a tough, physical defense and had his shoulder injured early. Too bad for him. He plays in a weak conference against weak defenses. When you play against the Southeastern Conference, you have to show up to do battle, son.
Ingram had to check out, too, with cramps. Thing is, his replacement, freshman Trent Richardson, would start for most teams in the country. At halftime, it looked like a walk. 24-6 Alabama. But the Longhorns didn’t quit. They played hard, and cut the lead to three. Wide receiver Jordan Shipley played out of his mind.
Regardless, never discount the Crimson Tide defense. Huffman High School graduate Marcell Dareus, a mid-season replacement, intercepted a pass by the Texas backup to score late in the first half. The big win was solidified when a hit came from Eryk Anders and Bama recovered the ball inside the 10-yard-line, followed by a touchdown run by Richardson.
It’s been a rough few years. Certainly, 1994 and 1996 had Alabama in the mix to win it all, but it didn’t happen. Then came the long, dark tea time of the Tide. Sure, there were decent teams, but none legitimately challenged for the national title.
Then there was 2009. The 13th national championship for Alabama. Feels good.
Bart Starr. Joe Namath. Kenny Stabler. Lee Roy Jordan. Cornelius Bennett. Derrick Thomas. David Palmer. Shaun Alexander. None of these heroes of Alabama football won the Heisman Trophy. For a program that has 12 national championships and 22 Southeastern Conference titles, the other major accomplishment in college football was something that had been lacking from the Tide trophy case for years. No longer.
Crimson Tide running back Mark Ingram added one of the more incredible accomplishments of the team this year, becoming Bama’s first-ever Heisman winner, and the third consecutive sophomore to take home the award. The win was the closest in the history of the award, 75-Heismans deep. For the first time in years, stiffarmtrophy.com got the final lineup wrong. It had Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh in third, ahead of Texas quarterback Colt McCoy, but in fact the two flipped positions in the final results.
1. MARK INGRAM, RUNNING BACK, ALABAMA
Votes: 1,304 (227)
2. TOBY GERHART, RUNNING BACK, STANFORD
Votes: 1,276 (222)
3. COLT MCCOY, QUARTERBACK, TEXAS
Votes: 1,145 (203)
4. NDAMUKONG SUH, DEFENSIVE TACKLE, NEBRASKA
Votes: 815 (161)
5. TIM TEBOW, QUARTERBACK, FLORIDA
Votes: 390 (43)
Perhaps the most memorable part of the ceremony was Ingram totally losing it when he went on the dais, having to take a few seconds to compose himself. It was only about a minute or two into the acceptance speech that the 2009 winner was able to get himself together enough to roll through the rest of his thank-yous.
“I’m a little overwhelmed right now,” Ingram said at the podium. “I’m just so excited to bring Alabama their first Heisman winner.” Afterward, the super sophomore told the assembled media, “I was overwhelmed, really excited, just the fact that I’m the first Heisman Trophy winner at the University of Alabama and doing this for my family. It hasn’t been easy for us.”
Alabama football is an emotional endeavor, so most of us who slagged on Tebow for crying during the SEC Championship Game gave Ingram a pass. Double standards are the spice of life in sports.
This season, Ingram put up 1,542 rushing yards on 249 attempts for 6.2 yards-per-carry and 15 touchdowns, despite being extremely limited in action against the patsies of the Tide schedule. He also has 30 receptions for 322 yards, for 10.7 yards-per-catch and three touchdowns.
Ingram wins
Ingram’s interview with ESPN’s Chris Fowler
There’s only one step left: beating Texas in Pasadena in the BCS National Championship Game. If Alabama can do that, and there is significant thought to believe that it’s possible, 2009 could go down as one of the greatest years in the 117-year history of Crimson Tide football.
It’s alive! Like Lazarus in the Bible or something out of a George Romero film, Alabama running back Mark Ingram‘s chances at the Heisman Trophy are looking pretty good, a week after it seemed all was lost when Auburn shut him down. Against what was then the best defense in the nation, Ingram put up 113 yards rushing and three touchdowns. But hey, that’s not all. He also caught two balls for 76 yards. That’s 189 all-purpose yards, Broseph, and it could be enough to take Ingram to New York.
The back’s main competition going into Saturday’s games was Texas quarterback Colt McCoy (cue sound of .38s going off). As last week was great for McCoy and horrible for Ingram, this week was a flipped script. Against a rather poor Nebraska team in the Big XII Championship Game, the Longhorn slinger went 20-of-36 for 184 yards. OK, not that bad. Except for the three picks and no touchdowns. Based on the games Saturday, Tide quarterback Greg McElroy looks more like the Macker that should be going for the trophy.
The Heisman ballots have to be mailed off or submitted online by Monday, and next weekend we’ll find out if McCoy or Ingram will be bringing home the goods.
The doctors called it shortly after the end of Alabama‘s last-minute victory over Auburn. The noise of the flat-lining was loud. Alabama running back Mark Ingram‘s bid to become the program’s first-ever Heisman Trophy winner was killed by the Auburn defense, and linebacker Josh Bynes in particular. After two weeks of looking at tape, the Tigers’ defensive braintrust had Bynes shadow the prolific back, and Ingram was rendered totally ineffective.
Call it the SI jinx, say that it was Auburn’s extensive prep time, but it was truly disheartening to watch a player who has been dominant through 11 games look like a scrub. But it wasn’t like he wasn’t trying. Every time the Tigers brought him down, they had to use six, seven, eight defenders in a gang-tackle. The super sophomore couldn’t get out of the gate. Since Auburn apparently designed its entire defense to stop Ingram, it’s no surprise that his compliment, Trent Richardson, had limited success.
Ingram’s stats are just woeful. There were 16 carries for 30 yards, a stultifying 1.9 yards per carry. Not that it matters, but he also had three catches for 21 yards. Considering Texas quarterback Colt McCoy’s outrageous performance the night before, it’s Kid Six-Shooter’s award to lose.
But, it’s not all bad. Providing that Ingram’s late-game hip injury isn’t serious, he could still have a good game against Florida and win the Doak Walker Award. That doesn’t really matter, though. What matters is winning out and being one of the best players on a national championship team.
With two weeks left, and Alabama staring at a trip to Auburn and the SEC Championship Game, Crimson Tide running back Mark Ingram still isn’t letting go of first place in the Heisman Trophy race. Against UT-Chattanooga, he was pulled with 10 minutes left in the second quarter, but still put up 102 yards rushing on 11 carries with two touchdowns.
The other major contenders, Texas quarterback Colt McCoy and Stanford running back Toby Gerhart, can’t seem to make the jump to force Ingram out of the top spot. Considering the next two games for Ingram are big ones, and Ingram tends to perform on an exceptional level in big games, could spell the end of the race. However, the Tide need to keep winning. A big showing against Auburn on Friday and besting Florida’s tough run defense would sew it up.
HeismanPundit.com
1. Mark Ingram, Alabama, 58 (10)
2. Colt McCoy, Texas, 40 (1)
3. Toby Gerhart, Stanford, 33 (1)
4. Tim Tebow, Florida, 20
5. C.J. Spiller, Clemson, 13
ESPN.com Heisman Watch
1. Mark Ingram, Alabama, 73 (13)
2. Toby Gerhart, Stanford, 47 (1)
3. Colt McCoy, Texas, 32
4. C.J. Spiller, Clemson, 24
5. Kellen Moore, Boise State, 20 (1)
CBS Sports Heisman Watch
1. Mark Ingram, Alabama, 44 (3)
2. Toby Gerhart, Stanford, 34 (1)
3. Colt McCoy, Texas, 28 (1)
4. Kellen Moore, Boise State, 10
5. C.J. Spiller, Clemson, 6
Of course, Sports Illustrated isn’t doing anything to help the matter, laying the dreaded SI jinx by putting Ingram on the cover and giving him a five-page feature in the magazine.
Alabama running back Mark Ingram shot to the top of the Heisman Trophy watch lists after his 249-yard performance against Carolina, but until now, the university has laid off promoting him. Coach Nick Saban really doesn’t want to deal with that distraction, and pulled Ingram halfway through the second quarter on Saturday after the back picked up over 100 yards and two touchdowns.
Now, though, the UA creative media people have put together one of their fabulous Web videos to throw in a little home support.
Alabama running back Mark Ingram is moving even closer to becoming the Crimson Tide’s first Heisman Trophy winner, after his performance against Mississippi State during the past weekend. He had 19 rushes for 149 yards and two touchdowns. Without a doubt, the totals won’t look as good this Saturday versus UT-Chattanooga. In the other patsy games, Ingram put up 56 and 91 yards, respectively. Also, head coach Nick Saban will want to save his starters for the Auburn game the day after Thanksgiving.
Season totals, through 10 games
Rushing: 194 attempts, 1,297 yards, 10 touchdowns
Receiving: 25 receptions, 225 yards, 3 touchdowns
Both HesimanPundit.com and the ESPN Heisman Watch are giving Ingram more points, but what was a one running back, two quarterback race is more of a mixed affair.
HeismanPundit.com
1. Mark Ingram, Alabama, 59 (10)
2. Colt McCoy, Texas, 35 (1)
3. Toby Gerhart, Stanford, 33 (1)
4. C.J. Spiller, Clemson, 23
5. Tim Tebow, Florida, 16
ESPN.com Heisman Watch
1. Mark Ingram, Alabama, 72 (12)
2. Toby Gerhart, Stanford, 42 (1)
3. C.J. Spiller, Clemson, 37
4. Tim Tebow, Florida, 24
5. Colt McCoy, Texas, 23
CBS Sports Heisman Watch
1. Mark Ingram, Alabama, 47 (4)
2. Toby Gerhart, Stanford, 34 (1)
3. Kellen Moore, Boise State, 21
4. Dion Lewis, Pitt, 12
5. C.J. Spiller, Clemson, 9
